Nike Zegama 2 trail running shoes review: plush enough for the road but with some trail-friendly details

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Nike Zegama 2 trail running shoes: first impressions

If you were asked to judge these shoes based on their appearance, you'd swear they were road running shoes with their chunky rocker soles , but they're named for the technical Basque Country trail race and a closer look reveals details that prove the Zegama 2s are built for the rough stuff.

An impressively chunky 39 mm stack of ZoomX foam in the heel is actually slightly lower than their predecessor but you can definitely expect a responsive ride in these shoes, even when you're striding over mud and grass, and they're lighter than they look. The addition of a Vibram Megagrip outsole with chevron lugs means you stick to the trails even on mud and grass.

The uppers are reinforced to offer your toes a little protection against the odd pinecone or prickly bush, but they won't do much when it comes to rocks. Nifty built-in stretchy gaiter cuffs help keep debris out of your socks which is a really nice feature.

• List price: $180 / £164.99
• Gender specification: Men's and women's sizing available
• Sizes: Men's 6 - 15 US, 6 - 12 UK / Women's 5 - 12 US, 2.5 - 9.5 UK
• Stack: 39 mm in heel, 35 mm in forefoot
• Drop: 4 mm
• Lugs: 4 mm
• Weight (per shoe, women's US 6.5): 8.11 oz / 230 g
• Materials: Mesh upper, ZoomX midsole, Vibram MegaGrip outsole
• Best use: Trail running, road-to-trail running

Visible holes in the mesh hint at breathability but we did find that our feet got super hot on a warm day and wondered if the lining could be a little more airy. Meanwhile, we didn't find there was much room inside these shoes for those of us with arches and that combined with the rocker sole and extended heel geometry makes us think these shoes are going to be quite niche, and a pricey pair at that. If they work for your feet, however, they'll be most useful on long runs on gravel roads with tarmac sections where you want comfort but aren't too worried about stability.

That said, they are beautiful and we're willing to bet that enough people will want to wear them as a daily trainer it doesn't matter if they're not built for the majority of trail runners.

Nike Zegama 2 trail running shoes: in the field

I recently received a pair of the Nike Zegama 2s to test from SportsShoes.com . Much like when I tested the Nike Wildhorse 8s , my first thought when I pulled these shoes out of the box was how breathtakingly beautiful they are. My second thought was, "wow that's a lot of cushion!"

I do like bouncy midsoles for road running, which I don't often do, but lately on the trails I've been enjoying the low maintenance feel of the Merrell Long Sky 2 Matryx which have substantially less cushion underfoot and more flex. I haven't tested the first edition of the Zegama model, and this was my first time trying out so much cushion on the trails, but I've given these a few spins on runs where I mix up gravel with grass, mud and some incline to see how they hold up.

Here’s how they performed:

Sizing, fit and comfort

I tested a US 6.5 which gives me an extra half size and I'd say that's a good approach. From looking at these shoes, they don't have a very wide toe box but the extra length meant my toes didn't feel crowded.

The lacing system allows for a reasonably snug fit around my midfoot and the heel delivers an excellent lockdown fit. My main issue with the fit is that the uppers don't offer a ton of height, which means I do experience some issues with comfort once I get out on the trail. They may improve with use, but for my first couple of runs I've experienced some numbness in my toes which is usually a sign there isn't quite enough room for my feet.

Beyond that, there hasn't been any rubbing and of course the cushioning helps these shoes feel really comfortable, but I think those with high arches or wide feet may struggle with the lack of space.

Breathability and protection

The mesh uppers have plenty of holes in them so these look breathable, but between that and my foot is a lining and I suspect that's not as breathable as it could be because at the end of a warm weather run, my feet felt so hot I had to check they weren't smoking. This could be in part down to the socks I was wearing, but I just wore those same socks for a 40 km run in the Alps wearing different shoes and suffered no such issue so I think these shoes may be better suited to cooler weather.

Trail running shoes need to have reinforced uppers to help protect our toes and heels from objects on the trail and these shoes have a moderate amount around the toes, enough to protect against prickly bushes and to protect the shoes themselves, but not enough for really rocky trails. That said, because of the huge stack, I probably wouldn't wear these for technical trails myself so perhaps that's no matter.

Responsiveness, grip and stability

If it's trail feel you're after, you're barking up the wrong tree, but responsiveness? These shoes have oodles of it thanks to their giant foam midsoles that are stiffer than they look and I even benefitted from that on super soft, grassy trails where I'd usually just feel like I'm sinking in. Though I prefer a bit more trail feel, I wore these on a run where the first half kilometer is tarmac and I did really like that I didn't feel any discomfort. In fact, I think these shoes would be better categorized as road-to-trail running shoes .

On less demanding trails, I enjoyed a nice smooth ride. There's a little flex in the forefoot, but most of the smooth ride feel comes from the rocker soles.

The Vibram soles are a new addition and I've made a point of running down steeper grassy sections where it wasn't super wet but there were still muddy patches and I didn't skid once, which was really a nice surprise. They picked up a little mud on the descent as you can see in the photo above, but by the time I got back to the car I had shed most of that.

As for stability, I think you always lose some with a higher stack and rocker sole, though you can gain some back with a wider geometry and these have an extended heel. On a particularly narrow section of single track I definitely felt precarious and was glad for the use of my running poles , but they're not as unstable as they look, however I think they're best suited for longer runs over gravel roads than technical stuff.

Nike Zegama 2 trail running shoes: the bottom line

If you're actually going to hit the trails in these and not just wear them around town, which I've seen a lot of people doing, they come at quite a high price for what they offer in terms of performance. Yes, they have great grip, comfort for long rides and built-in gaiters, but they're also not suited for technical trails or runners with high arches. If you're seeking something a little more technical but with a decent amount of cushion, check out the Merrell Agility Peak 5s as well.

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